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Tsumeb.com: Mission Statement

Tsumeb.com is a not-for-profit, collaborative project with the goal of collating and sharing information relating to the famous Tsumeb Mine in Namibia, one of the most diverse and prolific mineralogical localities in the world. The site was launched on February 8, 2016 from which date interested individuals are invited to contribute by submitting verified information and high quality images relating to the mineralogy, geology, history and personalities that define this unique mineralogical occurrence.

Images used on Tsumeb.com are presented with the permission of the owner and/or photographer. Images may not be reproduced from Tsumeb.com without the express permission of the owner, photographer and/or Tsumeb.com management. Likewise, textual information presented on this site may not be copied without the permission of Tsumeb.com management; however, information may be quoted with appropriate citation or acknowledgement.Reproduction or use of the Tsumeb.com logo is prohibited without express permission of the Tsumeb.com management team.

A platform for submission of contributions will be added to the site shortly. In the meantime, please email all correspondence relating to this site to the following address: info@tsumeb.com

Distribution

Abundant. An important ore mineral throughout the Tsumeb deposit.

Occurrence

Hypogene

Supergene

1st Oxidation Zone

2nd Oxidation Zone

3rd Oxidation Zone

Notable Finds

Solid masses of chalcocite to 20 cubic metres occurred in the first oxidation zone. Acicular crystals (unusual habit) were found in the second oxidation zone. Large and well-formed crystals were found in the third oxidation zone, with perfect crystals to 40 mm found between 44 and 47 levels, some of them associated with stolzite and nickeloan siderite.

Paragenetic and General Notes

Chalcocite occurs mainly as a component of massive sulphide ores; well-formed crystals are comparatively rare. They occur in a diverse range of habits, however, ranging from tabular, through prismatic, to acicular. Twinning on {011} - the so-called V-twins, which commonly repeat to form pseudo-hexagonal plates - is common.

Most, if not all "chalcocite" at Tsumeb is an intimate mixture of at least two different species - chalcocite and djurleite; less commonly, digenite and roxbyite may also be involved. Chalcocite forms veins in the primary ore and gangue and is therefore late in the hypogene sequence (Keller, 1977). While chalcocite occurs in the primary (hypogene) assemblage at Tsumeb, much of the chalcocite, and probably all of the crystallised specimen material, is of supergene origin.

Chalcocite is reported to form pseudomorphs after the following minerals: enargite (rare); tennantite (rare).

The following minerals are reported to form pseudomorphs after chalcocite: betekhtinite (rare); conichalcicte (rare); ludlockite (rare).